The present invention concerns a turbocharger for an internal combustion engine including a housing and a turbine arranged inside the housing.
Turbochargers are used to increase performance in internal combustion motors or engines. Operating ranges with high rotational speed levels and high temperatures of a turbocharger are especially critical. Parts of a defective turbine blade, for example, can penetrate a housing due to high kinetic energy.
Insulation for a turbocharger is known from PCT international publication WO 97/48943. This insulation consists of two halves that can be completely arranged around the turbocharger. They can be removed for maintenance work. In addition to contact protection, the insulation should guarantee an even temperature distribution and diminish heat tension in the casting of the housing. The casing, nonetheless, offers no secure protection against cracks in the housing.
One object of this invention is to improve the safety of a turbocharger.
This object is achieved through a burst protector that covers a first segment of the housing. Refinements are specified in the dependent claims.
The invention provides a burst protector for the turbocharger that covers a first segment of the housing. The first segment is determined by the main energy direction of the burst turbine. Here, the burst protector is non-detachably connected with the housing, for example, by micro-spot welding. The burst protector, in turn, includes insulation, a first metal sheet, and a second metal sheet. According to the invention, a turbocharger for an internal combustion engine can be protected against bursting by arranging a turbine of the turbocharger inside a housing of the turbocharger, covering a first segment of the housing with a burst protector arranged positively on an exterior of the housing, and arranging a casing around the burst protector.
The burst protector can absorb the energy of a burst turbocharger completely by way of the fixed connection between the burst protector and the housing. The kinetic energy is transformed by the two sheets into deformation energy so that collateral damage can effectively prevented. Since the burst protector is arranged only in a first segment, without additional mountings, the increase in weight is minor.
The burst protector is surrounded by a casing protecting against the environment that covers a second segment of the housing. The casing has an insulation blanket and a surrounding metal foil that is non-detachably connected with the housing. Additional burst protection is guaranteed by the casing.
A preferred design is represented in the drawings figures.